Trellus Health plc (AIM: TRLS), which is commercialising a scientifically validated, resilience-based, connected health solution for chronic condition management, announces it has established a management services organization agreement with Connected Health Medicine PC (“Connected Health”), a state licensed Professional Corporation that will provide multidisciplinary patient care services via telehealth. Trellus Health will provide technology and administrative services to Connected Health.
The partnership with Trellus Health provides Connected Health with the technology necessary to offer digitally enabled chronic care management services through its licensed multidisciplinary care team, utilizing the patent-pending GRITTTM resilience assessment and methodology via Trellus Health’s telehealth platform, TrellusElevate™. This agreement represents the first in a series of partnerships that will enable Trellus Health’s proprietary technology platform and resilience-building methodology to be scaled geographically for licensed clinical care coordination and delivery across the United States.
Unlike most digital health programs that provide patient support through unlicensed health coaches, TrellusElevate™ enables patients to receive expert clinical support from Connected Health’s licensed care team, which includes a Nurse Practitioner (NP), a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) experienced in psychological and social support counselling, and a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN), who are all trained on the scientifically-validated GRITTTM resilience-building methodology. Connected Health’s multidisciplinary team coordinates with the patient’s treating gastroenterologist provider to deliver whole-person care to effectively address the physical and behavioral health needs of people living with chronic conditions.
Trellus Health recently appointed Andres Jimenez, MD, MSEd, MBA, as Chief Medical Officer. Dr. Jimenez is a practicing physician specializing in preventive medicine and behavior change. He is also an Executive Advisor at the Cornell Johnson Graduate School of Management and the CEO of ImplementHIT, a digital health company whose software and curricula have impacted over a third of all US physicians. Dr. Jimenez will work closely with Connected Health to ensure effective training and utilization of the GRITT TM methodology and TrellusElevate TM platform by the licensed clinical care team.
In association with this partnership, Connected Health has hired three senior members to its initial licensed clinical team (further details of which can be found below). Connected Health’s licensed care team have been trained on Trellus Health’s GRITTTM resilience building methodology, which incorporates positive psychology principles into all aspects of chronic condition management.
Trellus Health’s resilience-driven methodology was validated on Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) patients at the Susan and Leonard Feinstein IBD Clinical Center at The Mount Sinai Hospital, where Crohn’s disease was first identified by Burrill B. Crohn, MD, in 1932. Trellus Health’s TrellusElevateTM and GRITTTM resilience-building methodology will initially focus on virtual care management for chronic gastrointestinal (GI) conditions with a high mental health burden, such as IBD.
Trellus Health co-founders, Marla Dubinsky, MD, and Laurie Keefer, PhD, with decades of experience in IBD and psychogastroenterology respectively, have delivered their resilience-driven, whole-person approach and GRITTTM methodology to hundreds of patients at Mount Sinai’s Feinstein IBD Center over the last five years. The co-founders will work closely with Connected Health’s licensed clinical team to utilize and scale the GRITTTM methodology using the TrellusElevateTM virtual care platform and connected health solution.
Dr. Keefer explains: “By personalizing care to address the psychosocial needs of IBD patients and applying the latest evidence-based clinical approaches in the context of their chronic physical condition, we can help patients achieve and sustain disease control and enjoy a significantly improved quality of life.
“The majority of IBD patients don’t have access to expert resources or multidisciplinary care to assist them in learning how to effectively cope with the everyday challenges of living with a chronic incurable condition. Trellus Health’s platform provides convenient telehealth access to Connected Health’s licensed behavioral, nursing, and nutrition professionals to enable delivery of the integrated patient-centered care that all chronic patients deserve.”
Monique Fayad, CEO of Trellus Health comments, “People living with chronic conditions are often left alone to self-manage in between doctor visits while navigating an array of procedures, tests, medications, and worsening symptoms, which drives high rates of anxiety, depression, and diminished quality of life. We believe that by using the TrellusElevate™ platform and validated GRITTTM methodology, Connected Health will deliver the first of its kind resilience-based approach to allow the whole individual to emerge along a pathway to recovery.
“Trellus Health’s resilience-driven methodology and platform provide patients with real-time access to licensed multidisciplinary professionals, personalized behavioral care plans, and digital education resources from the comfort of their homes, which benefits their quality of life and improves their care experience, resulting in significant cost savings for the entire health ecosystem. The genuine compassion and extensive experience of Connected Health’s licensed multidisciplinary care team will transform the lives of patients through education, hope, confidence and resilience. I cannot think of a more qualified group of individuals for us to work with in addressing the whole-person needs of individuals with chronic conditions wherever and whenever they need it.”
Further details of the Connected Health licensed clinical team:
Sherese Fralin, MSN, NP, has joined as Connected Health’s VP of Clinical Operations following 20 years of leadership experience in both clinical and research environments. Prior to joining Connected Health, Sherese was the Director of Advanced Practice Nursing at Lenox Hill Hospital, where she educated and evaluated the performance of 190 Nurse Practitioner staff. Sherese was recently featured in the Netflix documentary, “Lenox Hill – Some Heroes Wear White Coats.” She is currently pursuing her PhD in nursing education with a focus on teaching resilience to oncology nurses and holds certifications in Reiki and Complementary and Alternative Medicine.
Gregg Felice, LCSW-R, has joined Connected Health as a behavioral health and Resilience Specialist. In this role, he will assess patients and work with them to build resilience using Trellus Health’s patent-pending GRITTTM methodology. A cancer-survivor and Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Gregg previously worked as the Director of Patient and Carepartner Advocacy at CurePSP — the foundation for prime of life neurodegeneration. He has over 25 years of healthcare experience prior to joining Connected Health, including management positions at Walgreens Speciality Pharmacy and BioScrip. Gregg also worked for 12 years as a Clinical Oncology Social Worker at the Westchester Medical Center.
Emily Matson, MSc, RDN, CDCES, has joined as Connected Health’s Registered Dietitian. A Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist, Emily has delivered nutritional counseling both in-person and via telehealth to patients living with IBD, IBS, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, hypertension, and provided pediatric and general wellness counseling. Before joining Connected Health, Emily worked as the Clinical Support Manager for Brook Health and Registered Dietitian at Dandelion Nutrition. Outside of Connected Health, Emily works as a diet and nutrition teaching assistant and is contributing to the next edition of Krause’s Food & the Nutrition Care Process.
The GRITTTM resilience assessment and personalized treatment methodology described is based on technology developed by Mount Sinai faculty and licensed to Trellus Health. Mount Sinai and Mount Sinai faculty, including Marla Dubinsky, MD, and Laurie Keefer, PhD, have a financial interest in Trellus Health. Mount Sinai has representation on the Trellus Health Board of Directors.
About Trellus Health plc (www.trellushealth.com)
Trellus Health (LSE: TRLS) is a leading pioneer in resilience-driven care and the first digital health company focused on the intersection of chronic physical conditions and mental health. Trellus Health’s digital-first chronic care management solution integrates convenient access to a licensed multidisciplinary care team with a suite of tools for resilience assessment, education and behavior modification, remote monitoring, health maintenance and prevention. Through its TrellusElevate™ connected care platform and companion App, the company enables coordination and delivery of expert whole-person care, addressing both clinical and behavioral health together, in context, to improve outcomes and reduce healthcare costs for patients, employers, and the healthcare system.
